Cannabis-Based Pain Med Finally Reaches Canadian Pharmacies
Canada has become the first country in the world to approve the use of a cannabis-based pain medication for use against the pain associated with Multiple Sclerosis.
Sativex was approved for use in Canada last April but it didn’t reach pharmacies until now. The medication is administered via a spray which the patient directs under the tongue (sublingual) or on the inside of the cheek. The spray method of pain control (analgesia) offers patients a more flexible method of analgesia as compared to oral medication which must be swallowed. Sublingual medication also has the added benefit of almost instant pain relief. It is available by prescription only.
Dr. Allan Gordon, a Neurologist and Director of the Wasser Pain Management Centre, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto said in April, "Effective pain control and management are extremely important in a disease like MS. The approval of Sativex in Canada reflects the urgent need for additional treatment options in the field of neuropathic pain in MS."
Sativex was developed by the UK-based GW Pharmaceuticals and is being marketed in Canada by the Pharmaceuticals Division of Bayer HealthCare. Most prescription benefit insurance plans will cover the drug but may not recognize Sativex immediately as is the case with any newly introduced drug to the market.
The medication is dispensed in a 50-dose container at a cost of approxiametly $120 Canadian. Research into Sativex also discovered that the drug reduces pain-related sleep disturbances.
Source: www.HalifaxLive.com (By Staff,Jun 21, 2005)
